


So Pesto-Day

by barelyprolific



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: Ending Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, High School, Light Angst, Moving On, Near Future, Teenage Drama, Unhealthy Relationships, letting go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barelyprolific/pseuds/barelyprolific
Summary: “Sorry,” Tina mumbles. She pours too much cereal in for the amount of milk left in the carton, and feels her eyes start to water. Her voice is thick as she cries out, “It’s just that today I’m breaking up with Jimmy Junior!”
Relationships: Henry Haber/Susmita, Tina Belcher & Jimmy Pesto Jr.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 8





	So Pesto-Day

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to Hilary Duff for writing the perfect break up song. Shout out to the Bob's Burgers team for the playground. Shout out to weed for mashing the two together.
> 
> This is not meant to be anti-Jimmy Jr. Please don't take it that way. I just think Tina deserves better (and her parents agree with me).

The groan starts before Tina’s even fully aware she’s conscious. She can hear herself, under the sounds of her parents in the kitchen and Louise in her room. Dragging her eyes open, she stares up at the ceiling until there’s a pounding on the wall.

“Tina!” 

Louise has heard her. She sighs, forcing herself to sit up, throw the blankets off her legs. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she groans again, just briefly.

Once she’s dressed, her hair and teeth brushed, she slouches into the kitchen and throws herself into her chair. 

Her mom sets a bowl and the box of Chippy Chomps in front of her, feels her forehead as she does and says, “What’s wrong, my teeny Tina? Louise said she heard you groaning in your sleep.”

“Yeah, it woke me up.” The youngest Belcher glares at her from across the table.

“Sorry,” Tina mumbles. She pours too much cereal in for the amount of milk left in the carton, and feels her eyes start to water. Her voice is thick as she cries out, “It’s just that today I’m breaking up with Jimmy Junior!”

She can feel her family pause around her, but it doesn’t last long. Her dad is setting down his coffee cup and pulling out the chair next to her, but it’s Gene who speaks.

“Didn’t he dump you last week to go out with Kelly Mathis? Again?”

“Yes,” Tina practically sobs, “and that’s why I have to tell him I won’t be his girlfriend ever again. It was one thing when he would go out with different girls when we were broken up, but this is _the third time_ it’s been Kelly.”

“Wow, it sounds like he really likes Kelly.” 

At Louise’s words, Tina starts groaning again, she can’t help it. Her head falls forward, and it’s only just in time that her dad realizes what’s happening and moves her bowl out of the way.

“Louise, that was not helpful.” 

“I’m sorry, Mother, I am sleep deprived and don’t know what I’m saying.”

“Well… Apologize to your sister.”

“It’s fine,” Tina says, rolling her head to the side so the words are clear. “She’s right.” 

Louise is right. Tina might have been his girlfriend first, and longer, but in Jimmy Junior’s mind, she’s back up to his better options. The more she looks back on their year and a half of awkward on and off dating, the more she realizes that’s always been the case. 

“He never loved me at all,” she says. 

“Well, we kinda knew that back with the whole Becky Krespe fiasco, huh?” Tina knows her sister’s just cranky. Her words still sting, but she’s right about that, too. 

“I know. I should have done this a long time ago. But I’ve liked Jimmy Junior so much for so long!”

“Have you though?” Gene asks from Tina’s other side. “All you ever really say about the guy is stuff about his butt.”

“It’s the perfect butt,” Tina says. Her dad makes a displeased hum.

“Eh, it’s alright.” Gene shrugs. “You know who has a great butt? Peter Pescedaro. He does yoga, so he’s bendy, too.” 

Her dad hums again, harder.

“It is a good butt,” Tina concedes. 

“Alright, I’m going downstairs.” Her dad stands up, taking his coffee mug with him. Even though she’s not looking at her, Tina knows her mom is rolling her eyes. 

“Oh, Bob, it’s just a little boy talk.”

“A little butt talk, you mean,” Louise says, climbing down from her chair. “C’mon, Dad, I’ll walk you to the restaurant.” 

“I… Thanks.” Her dad sighs. Before he goes, though, he puts a hand on Tina’s shoulder. She rolls her head to the other side to look up at him. “Tina. I’m...proud of you. For handling this so maturely. You deserve a boyfriend who doesn’t want to date anyone else.” 

“Thanks, Dad.” 

He smiles down at her, pats her shoulder, and leaves the kitchen as quickly as he can, Louise hot on his heels. 

“Aw, your father’s right, Tina. You don’t need that Jimmy Junior at all. There are plenty of guys out there who are gonna see how special you are, and want you and only you.”

“Maybe,” Tina sniffs. “Tan boys?”

“Oh, so many tan boys! The tannest. Big muscles and hearts of gold.”

“With good hair.”

“Very good hair. Soft. Bouncy.” 

“I’m seeing a mullet,” Gene interrupts. “Is no one else getting that vibe?”

“Maybe, maybe.” Her mom gets up, coming around the table to rub Tina’s back. “I think this will be good for you, Tina. Now hurry up.” Her soothing rubs turn into a couple of pats on her back. “You got twenty minutes to get to school. Go, go.” 

The Belcher children go their separate ways on the corner a few blocks from Wagstaff, and Tina makes the rest of the trip to Huxley High School by herself. She gets there with just enough time to get to her locker and switch out her books for her first few periods before the bell rings for homeroom. 

Tina had hoped to have her conversation with Jimmy Junior before school started. As she takes her seat in homeroom, she looks around for the boy in question. Jimmy Junior’s in the back, of course, sitting between Zeke and Tammy. He’s doodling something in a notebook, but Zeke’s got a grin for her when she briefly catches his eye, and he winks. Her face is warm as she hastily turns back around, her heartbeat quick. 

She’s nervous. That’s all. Nervous. 

Mr. Carmichael calls roll and finishes just in time for the bell to ring again. Tina waits outside of the classroom for Jimmy Junior. She doesn’t have far to go, anyway; her first class is just next door, she won’t be late. 

Tammy leaves first, glancing at Tina with the slightest frown on her face. She flicks her hair as she passes, heading to the same room Tina will be once she’s done what she has to do. Jimmy Junior follows her out, and Tina catches him by the arm, using the element of surprise to tug him off to the side a few steps.

“Jimmy Junior. We need to talk.”

He frowns down at her hand on his arm. “Uh, Tina, I have to get to class.”

Tina drops her hand in favor of crossing her arms. 

“I know,” she tells him, “But this will only take a second.”

Zeke has come up behind them, and Tina turns her head to look at him. Their eyes meet, and then he looks at Jimmy Junior, reaches out to smack him on the shoulder lightly.

“I’ll save you a spot, J-Ju. T-Bird, see ya in English.”

He leaves them standing there, and even though they only have five minutes--well, closer to four, now--Tina waits until he’s out of ear shot to continue. 

“Jimmy Junior…” she begins, at the same time that he says, “Look, Tina, I don’t want to be late.” They both stop, and he rolls his eyes. 

“So what is it?” he asks, impatient. He’s always been a little impatient with her, now that Tina thinks about it. Hugging herself a little, Tina takes a deep breath. 

“I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be your girlfriend anymore.”

Jimmy Junior scoffs and rolls his eyes again.

“You’re not my girlfriend now,” he says. “I dumped you last week, Tina, remember? Lunch? You had that sauce stain on your shirt and I said--”

“I know what you said, I was there.” Tina cuts him off quickly. “I know I’m not your girlfriend anymore. I’m telling you I’m not going to be your girlfriend ever again. We’re over, Jimmy Junior. For real.” 

Jimmy Junior scowls at her. “Okay, fine, whatever. Can I go to class now?”

“Um. Yeah. If that’s all you have to say, then… Yeah. I’m done too.”

Tina watches him leave without saying anything else to her, without even glancing one more time in her direction. Then she takes a deep breath, raises her chin, throws back her shoulders, and heads to class. 

Zeke doesn’t sit near her in English, normally. He takes seats in the back, and Tina likes her front row. She’s still not entirely surprised when he slides into the desk next to hers at the beginning of third period. 

“Heard you dumped Jimmy Junior,” he says, staring at her. Tina keeps her head bent, turned away, but sneaks a peek out of the corner of her eye. Her face feels hot again, and she’s grateful that her hair hides it. 

“Hard to dump someone you’re not dating.”

“You know what I mean.”

Tina breathes in, lifts her head to look at him. Zeke’s face is carefully blank, but Tina knows what that means, by now. 

She can’t believe she ever thought he was an idiot.

“I told him we were done for good,” she confirms. 

Zeke’s impassive expression cracks, just for a moment, a broad grin flashing across his face. Tina’s heart thumps harder, and she swallows.

“Good for you, girl.” 

It’s all he says, turning towards the front of the room as the late bell rings and their teacher stands up in front of the whiteboard. Halfway through their silent reading time, however, a note lands on her desk. 

It just says, _I’m here if you wanna talk_ , in Zeke’s chicken scratch handwriting, but it still makes Tina smile.

Just a little.

At lunch, Tina takes her usual seat in the corner of the cafeteria, at the little round table wedged between the drink machines. Susmita’s still in line, so Tina pulls out a notebook, intending to work on her latest Erotic Friend Fiction while she waits. Before she can get the first word down, however, a shadow falls over her.

When she looks up, it’s Jimmy Junior. Zeke’s a little behind him, arms crossed, staring blankly down at the floor.

“Tina, I thought about what you said. You saying you don’t want to be my girlfriend anymore makes me realize how much I want you to be my girlfriend. I’ll break up with Kelly.”

Tina sets her pencil down slowly. 

“Jimmy Junior, if I said yes to being your girlfriend again, you would just break up with me for someone else in a couple of weeks. It’s what you do. And… I don’t want to sit around waiting for the times you like me again, anymore. When I said we were over for good, I meant it. And if you break up with Kelly, you’re a jerk _and_ an idiot. Even I can see you really like her.”

Tina closes her notebook with her pencil inside and slips it under her tray, picks both up and stands. Jimmy Junior takes a step back when she slides under the stray, confusion all over his face. 

“You were serious?”

“I am serious. We’re done. My next boyfriend is going to be someone who likes me, and _treats_ me like he likes me.” 

Returning his apathy from that morning, Tina doesn’t look at him when she passes, or look back as she walks away. Susmita is heading towards their table with Henry in tow, so Tina moves to intercept them. 

“Can we eat outside today?” she asks. 

“We were just coming to ask if you wanted to.” Susmita says, smiling at Tina a little. 

“Yes, I noticed Jimmy Pesto Junior had you cornered.” 

“Thanks, Susmita. Henry. Let’s go.” 

She catches Zeke’s eye as she leaves, still standing with Jimmy Junior, who is gaping at her. His expression is that careful indifference again, but he winks. 

And Tina feels lighter.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there it is. 
> 
> Apparently I really am going to be writing for Bob's Burgers now. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought! Unless it was that it sucked.


End file.
